Islamic radicals are part of the problem, not the solution

Palestinian militants opened fire near a children’s festival at a UN-operated elementary school in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing a bodyguard of a local Fatah leader and wounding seven other people, medical officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. But Muslim extremists had earlier visited the school, warning authorities not to hold the festival, UN and security officials said. They also issued a warning on Saturday.

It was not clear why the extremists objected to the event, at the school in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, or whether they were behind the shooting, the officials said. The gunmen were masked, making identification difficult, security officials said…

While the sides have largely halted their attacks on each other, Gaza continues to be plagued by clan violence, kidnappings and other crime. The violence has included a string of attacks on Internet cafes, music stores and restaurants by Islamic extremists.

Radical Islamists love to propose their brand of Islam as the solution to all the problems of the world, and in this case to the misery of Gaza residents. But as this incident shows, radical Islam is just another factor adding to it. What’s really making Gaza into a hell on earth? Here are some of the reasons:

Corruption. International aid money that could be used to fix infrastructure and create economic activities lines the pockets of the various warlords. As a result, things like the “Tsunami of human waste” occur.

Weapons. Most likely every male over the age of 14 has a Kalashnikov. Lots of people get hurt.

Lack of authority. The “security forces”, when they take time out from terrorist activities against Israel and each other, have no incentive to try to rein in the criminal activities of the heavily-armed clans.

One Response to “Islamic radicals are part of the problem, not the solution”

I am not qualified to answer the question, and am even reluctant to ask it. But the present world realities, the situation in which Islam is the dominant faith in large areas of the world which are backward economically and politically, in terms of respect for others and human rights in general- raise the question of whether or not there is not something ‘inherent’ in Islam which brings about the unfortunate situation of its own followers.